Improved thermo packing material



Patented Sept. 13, 1932 or CLEVELAND, orrro, A oon'roimrronor onro .rmrnovnn rnnnno PACKING MATERIAL No Drawing.

This invention relates to heat insulating compositionswhich are'used wherever it is desired to enclose or pack pipes, orinother instances where thermo-nonconductivlty is desirable.

The present heat insulating composition has particularly the propertyozt being water repellent, so that the packing will not become water soaked and thus break down its qualities as a thermo-nonconductor, but rather'will shed the water and prevent its penetration intothe interstices of the materials; making a up the composition.

The present heat insulating Composition is particularly useful in under-ground conduit systems in which steam pipes or. similar pipes are located, and in which moisture frequently accumulates, due to condensation oft-escaping steam or from the ingress of water from the outside. When under such conditions the heat insulating material becomes watersoaked its thermo nonconductivity is practically entirely broken down, so that it becomes useless for the purpose for which it was intended.

The usual forms of thermo-nonconductors, such as asbestos, rock wool and mineral wool which are in their nature composed of silicious fibers, are of themselves water-proof, that is to say the fibers themselves will not absorb water, but when such fibrous material is used for thermo packing material, it is necessary that the mass be not unduly compacted but rather be in a more or less loose state in order to provide the necessary heat insulating properties.

It is this very fact that provides interstices between the fibers and the particles of which the packing is composed and the water, either condensation water or water coming in from the outside, fills the interstices bet-ween the fibers or particles of this silicious and naturally water-proof material and is retained in these interstices, thereby causing the packing material as a whole to ecome water-logged, and hence not only noneificient but practically useless for its intended purpose.

The present invention relates to a packing material which is composed of silicious fibrous material together with comminuted Application filed March 17, 1928i "Serial No; 262,592. 1

PA H QF WE" cirnrsrmlveorrwnnn or CLEVELAND, onro, Assrenon TO l'rnn. Ric-win COMPANY,

sponge, in which the combined materials are treated to make them water-repellent. Addi-' :tionally the invention comprises a packing -r'naterialcomposed of silicious. fibrous material intimately mixed with comminuted sponge where the'sponge ,material has been treated not'only fore-the purpose of removing its impurities but to expand it and increase its bulk or vOl'ume Jer'unitof weight vover that which the sponge naturally has after being gathered from thesea and dried.

and whengathered' and driedretains in its pores certain of the salts which are dissolved inthe ocean water. ,If this sponge material be fixedwith fibrous packing material, such as' asbestos, andiused' as a heat lnsulating' packing material enclosing metal pipes, par- Sponge material, as iswell known, is a vegetable" product growing beneath sea water, 7

in the spongein rather concentrated. form, are

,dissolvediby the water and frequentlyiattack the pipe setting up a chemical action which .ma-yjcontinue for aperiodof time and cause serious damage tothe pipes. i 1

Furthermore, the untreated or natural dried spongeis not so'porous and bulky as is the treated sponge and, therefore, the treat ed sponge is a much more efiicient and desirable material toEcombine with the asbestos or other silicious fibrous material for the purpose of making a packing material. I

In :making up the; packing materialvthe sponge is comminuted in any suitable manner so, that the particles are practically the size of a pea or beam. The sponge is thoroughly treated to remove the salt, the process including a thorough washing and subsequent drying. This results in the sponge becoming more bulky and consequentlym'ore porous;

The prepared sponge, is mixed with-shred .djed asbestos or otherfibrous mineralma-terial, this mixture being efiected in any desirable manner .so as to thoroughlyand intimately mixthe sponge andthe silicious fibrous 'ma- 7 terial. Experience, has demonstrated that b proper mixing, the fibrous or silicious mais necessary that there be a certain looseness in the packing material in order to provide" 'efiicientheat non-conductivity. 7 V

Y i There is a tendency'for 'the'packing mate- A as ' sessingthe additional desired characteristic that of preventing the sa terial will wrap around the sponge particles until upon superficial view it is impossible to detect the presence of the sponge. This mixture of the asbestos and sponge produces a fiuffy unmatted mass which is particularly suitable for use asa heatinsulating material, because of its bulkiness and its fluffy quality.

Perhaps the most important characteristic which the sponge imparts to the mixture is after it has been in use or a period of time.

When the packing material is placedin position in a conduit and surrounding a pipeit rial to settle after it has been'in position for a time, but" where the comminuted "sponge is ,mixed with the'asbestos the packing material does not sag to any appreciable extent.

The mixture which has just been described may be used asa heat insulating packing under many circumstances even without the ma'ss being treated to render the same water repellent. However, I prefer to treat the -mixture of sponge and asbestos in order to render the material water repellent. This may be done in avariety of'ways, one of theways being to treat the mixtureof sponge and asbestos' with dry pulverized metallic soap, such as aluminum stearate. If a thorough mixture of the sponge and silicious material together With a suitable quantity of aluminum stearatebe effected, the fibers of the asbestos and the spongymaterial are thoroughly coated, in the'case of asbestos fibers, and the spongy material is thoroughly impregnated with the aluminum stearate, with-the result that the packing material is rendered water -re ellent.

7 y water repellent is meant something different from water proof. Silicious fibers,

such as asbestos fibers, are in and'of themselves waterproof for they are of mineral matter. However, as I have before pointed out in this specification, a mass of fibrous numeral material, such as asbestos, although 1t'1s naturally waterproof, may nevertheless become impregnated-with water and thus be ging of the material fire-proof cab- 1 I claim as new is,

1. A heat insulatingcomposition comprisunmatted mass consisting .of an intimate mixture of shredded fibrous mineral material, and comminuted sponge which has been treated with a metallic soap to render the same water repellent.

2. A heat insulating composition comprising a fluffy, unmatted mass consisting of an intimate mixture of shredded fibrous mineral material, and comminuted sponge whichhas been treated with a dry metallic soap to render the same water repellent.

3. A heatinsulating composition comprising a fluffy, unmattedmass consisting of an P intimatemixture of shredded fibrousmineral material, and comminuted sponge which has been treated with aluminum stearate to render the same water repellent.

In testimony whereof,xI' hereunto aifixmy signature. r CHRISTIAN GOTTWALD;

suitable pro-- such for instance come-watersoaked, so as to entirely destroy I its-heat insulating properties.

Treating the fibers of the asbestos to make them water repellent and also treating the spongy material'to make it water repellent results in producing a packing material which has the desired characteristics as to bulkiness and flufiiness, at the same time posthat it is water repellent, so that if this packing material be used in a conduit and sur roun'dmg'pipes through which steam or other fluid is passing and water finds its way into thecond'uit, either from'the outside'or by condensation of mixture on the inside, the 

